Mobile Applications – Evolution, Integration And Myths Of Mobile Commerce

By Author: Alan Smith
Total Articles: 1285
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The mobile commerce industry is still in its infancy. It has been advertised a lot but understood the least. The mobile commerce industry is currently extending a bit more than websites optimized through mobile phones or simple applications of the mobile. The mobile platform and its potential have not been fully used for conducting the commercial operations through the mobile.

The mobile platforms have created a network that is connected 24/7. The smart phones facilitate the people with direct connection, information, interaction and influence. The key players of business like the business associates, investors, partners, customers, suppliers and the prospective customers can be directly connected with the business through the smart phones.

The integration of the smart phone into the commercial aspect is the need of the time and for this the strength of the smart phone has to be understood. The use of smart phone as a part of a larger commercial strategy spread over multiple channels is more important than its commercial initiative that is standalone. The proper implements of mobile commerce strategy make the ...
... smart phone complementary to other modes of communication.

The limitation or restriction of the mobile commerce to the standalone functionality can at times be harmful for the business especially when it is not in tandem with the other channels. When the functionality of the smart phone is integrated with other infrastructure elements of commerce the smart phone can be made very powerful, effective and efficient.

It is not enough for any mobile application to just reveal information about the product and its price; it also needs to call on the visitor to act and place the order.

Earlier the world was not ready to accept the interactive capabilities of the Internet. As time lapsed the internet was accepted and considered a part of commercial aspect and indispensable for ecommerce. The people using the smart phones now expect the mobile commerce to be as effective and efficient as the ecommerce that is carried out through the internet. They expect the mobile commerce to integrate the online world with the physical world.

Myths about Mobile Commerce

The following three myths about the mobile commerce are responsible for the restricted or limited development of the mobile commerce.

• It is a very expensive technology
• Separate staff and infrastructure is needed to run it
• It is difficult to support or does not support all mobile platforms

These myths can be removed with the help of the following mobile application developments.

Mobile Barcode:
The retailer can be more buyer-friendly and increase the transaction by providing a mobile application which exhibits the price of the product on the screen when its camera is focused on the barcode picture.

The mobile application that helps locating the store can help the customers to get to the nearest store having the product they need.

There can be mobile applications through which the customer can check the availability of the product, access information about the product and even compare the price quoted at different outlets.

A prospective customer can first contact the retailer or the retailer can first contact the prospective customer through the mobile. The retailer can update the prospective customer through emails, SMS and even phone calls and the mobile can be the best vector for this.

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